A lubricating device for the starting condition is already known and has a lubricant storage tank, the outlet of which is opened by means of an electromagnet during the starting phase of operation. This causes oil to be fed to the transmission, still prior to the oil pump becoming effective. This device operates actually satisfactorily, however, it is not suited for larger transmissions and expanded line systems (because of the long time it takes the pump to become effective), because the volume of freely flowing oil is not sufficient. Furthermore, a current source is not always available for the electromagnetic valve (German Pat. No. 1,291,966).
Therefore, the basic purpose of the invention is to provide a lubricating device of the above-described type which permits the transmission to drive a practically unlimited time with a practically sufficient lubricant volume. This is done according to the invention with a plunge or splash type of lubrication. Since this plunge lubrication results in splash losses and can also have other disadvantages for some cases of application, it is a further purpose to automatically switch over to a pressure-spray or an atomization of the lubricant or the like. Furthermore, a separate energy supply for the electromagnetic pilot valve or the like is supposed to be avoided.